Why has India preferred Veere Di Wedding over Parmanu?

For some time now, we have been believing that if a film must thrive, it can do so with the help of strong content and relatable performances alone, but the performance of two of the biggest films of this year, namely Veere Di Wedding and Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran, gave us a reality check.

First and foremost, let’s compare the IMDb ratings of these two films. Parmanu, as of this writing, stands tall with a score of 8.5. Veere Di Wedding, on the flip side, has a rating of 2.7.

Before one starts typing hate mails to us for any reason, let’s just clarify that we are comparing a film which talks about a turning point in the Indian history to one of those which talks about love, life and breakups. Sure, they are important things to talk about, but can you compare it to the topic that a Parmanu is based on?

What’s all the more appalling to us is that Veere Di Wedding, which has only competed about six-and-a-half days at the cinema screens as of this writing has raked in more money than Abraham’s film. You can view that article right here.

Let’s just make it clear that we are NOT against the idea of an all-female cast or anything remotely similar. In fact, we were all praises and heart for Lipstick Under My Burkha. Our concern out here is if the makers of a film dare not to promote their film and release it, can’t they get enough support from the Indian audience? Or worse, when you see a film like Veere Di Wedding and Parmanu being screened at a single theatre, does the Indian audience have NO sense of conscience or judgment for picking out the (relatively) better film?

One thing to note is that the team of VDW went all-out with the promotional and marketing activities for the film, while Abraham hardly promoted his VERY OWN home production. In fact, John even DECLINED to promote his film in a mall and chose to orchestrate a Parmanu Pride Parade in Delhi instead. As a result, the films stand at the kind of figures they do, which makes it clear that the Veeres are doing MUCH better than Abraham, who has made a better film in every sense of the word. This makes us ask a question, is the Indian audience still driven by merely marketing tactics and star power and are ready to give a greater sense of importance to THAT over a story that changed the nation?

While what we mentioned above is a concern for us on a micro level, what worries us the MOST is this: Considering the performance of the two films, will Indian producers ever be willing to tell stories like that of a Parmanu or will they choose to bank on the relatability factor till the end of time? Or even worse, will Indian filmmakers begin believing that India does NOT deserve good films?

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